Trinamool National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee is set to meet Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh on Wednesday to discuss pending dues of various projects, including 100 days of work under MGNREGA. The Trinamool Parliamentary Party has requested the meeting, and Banerjee will lead the delegation. The issue of unpaid dues has been a contentious one, and Banerjee’s meeting with Singh highlights the Trinamool’s efforts to push for resolution and ensure that workers receive their rightful payments.
“A delegation of Trinamool Congress will go to meet Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh. Abhishek Banerjee will lead the team. Time has been sought to meet the minister on Wednesday,” sources said.
The meeting between Banerjee and Singh on Wednesday has been comes in the backdrop of the issue of non-release of funds for Bengal’s pending dues under the MGNREGA scheme since April 2022. TMC claims that the Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj has withheld the funds and alleged misappropriation of funds under the scheme. Banerjee, who is in Delhi to attend the remaining days of the second phase of the Budget session, has made the meeting with the union minister a priority.
This will be the first meeting between Banerjee and Singh on TMC’s demand of payment of outstanding dues. Banerjee had announced this decision from a “dharna manch” and expressed his intent to travel to Delhi to present the state’s demands.
In the one hundred day work project sector alone, there are pending dues of more than Rs 7,000 crore rupees.
It should be noted that the state of West Bengal is preparing for the upcoming panchayat election.